Chapter 21 – The One Who Remembers the Gods
The wind shifted.
It wasn't a storm or divine omen. Just a stillness.
Luo Qingshen halted mid-step. Though his face remained blank, his senses sharpened. Something—no, someone—had been watching. Not like the gaping students or suspicious instructors. This presence was different.
Older. Heavier. Familiar, in a way that pressed against the boundaries of his sealed memories.
He glanced sideways at Nyxria. Her expression had gone unreadable—eyes narrowed, lips drawn in a rare frown. She, too, had felt it.
"...We're being observed," she murmured.
"I know."
They said nothing more. In a world where gods once ruled and hid behind mortal flesh, silence often spoke loudest.
Above them, in a floating pagoda meant only for the Academy's Grand Elders, the man continued watching.
His name was Elder Tianlan.
Once, long ago, he had stood on battlefields stained with divine ichor. Once, he had witnessed the fall of immortals and the rise of betrayers. And now, after three thousand years of retreat, he saw him again.
The boy who should not exist.
The exile who vanished from the divine plane.
The one who carried the scent of Heaven's Judgment and Void Reversal.
Tianlan stroked his white beard slowly. "So you've returned, Luo Qingshen."
A younger instructor beside him blinked. "Grand Elder? Did you say something?"
Tianlan smiled thinly. "Nothing. Merely the wind whispering to old bones."
But his gaze never left the boy walking below.
Back in the dorms, Luo Qingshen sat cross-legged atop his bed, Nyxria curled like a cat at the corner, her pale hair flowing like mist.
A system notification flickered in his vision.
[Hidden Quest Update: "Heaven's Eyes Open"]
► You have been identified by a remnant of the Old Pantheon.
► Risk Level: Moderate–High.
► Recommendation: Remain unseen. Observe before acting.
Qingshen dismissed it.
Too late to remain unseen. But not too late to play dumb.
He opened his palm. Nullscroll shimmered faintly before vanishing again. For now, his greatest tools were not power, but ignorance—or rather, the illusion of it.
He looked at Nyxria. "You recognized that presence, didn't you?"
She nodded. "Only vaguely. But it felt like... someone who walked the edge of godhood once."
Qingshen said nothing.
The next morning, a notice shook the academy:
"Grand Elder Tianlan will be holding a special combat seminar for elite first-years. Attendance is mandatory."
Whispers exploded across campus.
"Is this because of that Luo guy?"
"Grand Elders never appear for our level!"
"Maybe someone complained. Maybe they want to test him."
Qingshen remained calm as usual. He simply adjusted his uniform, tied his silver hair in a simple knot, and made his way to the grand training plaza.
The moment he entered, Elder Tianlan was already there.
Standing still.
Waiting.
Students filed in cautiously, avoiding Qingshen's gaze.
Tianlan's eyes met Qingshen's.
And in that moment—something passed between them.
Not a greeting. Not a challenge.
A question.
"Do you still remember the Oath of Silence?"
Qingshen's expression didn't change. But a faint hum in the Void responded.
Yes. He remembered.
And so did Tianlan.
What followed was not a lecture.
It was a test.
Tianlan called for sparring, yet carefully watched every reaction Qingshen gave. From his stance to his breathing, from the flick of his wrist to how he avoided certain postures linked to divine arts.
Qingshen played it perfectly.
He fought cleanly, with restraint, allowing hits that could have never landed on the real him. The students praised his humility.
Tianlan only narrowed his eyes further.
When the session ended, and the students left, Tianlan spoke.
Only to Qingshen.
"Your movements are too clean. Too trained. There is no hesitation in you."
Qingshen responded calmly. "I grew up in dangerous lands. Survival taught me precision."
Tianlan stepped closer, voice dropping. "And survival taught you the Seventh Seal's footwork?"
Qingshen's eyes narrowed the tiniest amount.
Tianlan smiled. Not kind.
"You're not the only one who remembers the Old Laws, boy."
As the sun dipped below the horizon, Qingshen stood alone atop the academy's quiet rooftop.
Nyxria appeared beside him without a sound.
"He knows."
"Yes."
"Will he report you?"
"Not yet. He's testing me. But I'm testing him too."
A moment of silence passed.
Then Nyxria looked toward the stars.
"Another piece of the past awakens. The longer we wait, the less hidden we become."
Qingshen's voice was a whisper.
"Then let them come. I've waited long enough."